Apparatus for treating castings of lightweight concrete in open casting molds



K.G.OLSSON APPARATUS FOR TREATING CASTINGS OF LIGHTWEIGHT July 21, 1959 CONCRETE IN OPEN CASTING MOLDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 30, 1956 MQ mm y 21, 1959 K. G. OLSSON 2,895,204

APPARATUS FOR TREATING CASTINGS 0F LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE IN OPEN CASTING MOLDS Filed April 30, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. K41?! 607,41/ flzssa/y imw/M him atent @fifire 2,395,214 Patented July 21, 1959 APPARATUS FOR TREATING CASTINGS OF LIGHTWEEGHT CONCRETE IN OPEN CAST- ING MOLDS Karl Custav Olsson, Solna, Sweden, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Casius Corporation Limited, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Application April 30, 1956, Serial No. 581,558

6 Claims. (Cl. 25-1) This application is a continuation-in-part of my copelnding application Serial No. 392,726, filed November In said prior application -I have described an apparatus for the removal of the upper expansion layer from open casting molds in the manufacture of porous light weight concrete products and for the provision of grooves in such products at an early stage of the manufacturing process.

The objects of this invention are broadly similar to those of said prior disclosure but a steadily increasing demand for high production capacity has called for a still more advanced technique in the production of said cellular light weight concrete products, and the further object of this invention is to provide improved methods and means in connection with such production.

The apparatus according to the invention broadly comprises, in combination, a pivotally supported laterally tiltable, rectangular frame structure, means for effecting lateral tilting of said frame structure and for returning it to substantially horizontal position, means within said frame structure for positioning an open casting mold therein, races along the longitudinal side members of said frame structure, a carriage movable along said races and traversing said frame structure, driving means for imparting a reciprocating movement along said races to said carriage, a vertically adjustable knife blade mounted on said carriage and traversing said frame structure adapted to remove the upper expansion layer of the light weight concrete in said open casting mold when positioned in said frame structure, chute means for removal of the expansion layer when the frame structure with the mold is in a tilted position, and means for producing grooves in the top surface of the concrete exposed by the cutting with the knife, said means including a series of rotatable spaced rollers having a common axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to the direction of advance of said carriage and means for pressing said rollers partly into the surface of the concrete in the mold.

The more detailed objects and features of this invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention, which has been illustrated in the annexed drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same,

Fig. 3 is an end view showing the frame structure of the apparatus in tilted position, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of the carriage movable along the said frame structure.

The apparatus shown in Figs. l-4 comprises a heavy rectangular frame structure 101 including box beam type longitudinal side members 102 interconnected by transverse bottom members 103 and transverse end structures 104 and '105. Each such end structure 104 and 105 respectively includes a transverse beam 106 having a horizontal pivot pin 107 secured thereto in a central posiviews of the drawing.

2 tion relatively to the width of the frame structure. Each such pivot pin 107 is journalled in a heavy bearing 108 on top of a support 109 so that the entire frame stru'c 'ipre 101 may be tilted laterally about 50 as shown in The tilting movement of the frame structure 101 is restricted by two spaced brackets 110 located between the two supports 109 and anchored to the floor. A pneumatically or hydraulically operated jack 111 located substantially in the middle of the length of the frame structure and offset in relation to the tilting axis thereof is provided to tilt the complete frame structure when desired and to again restore it to horizontal position.

At the one end structure 105 of the frame there is provided a suspended shelf 112 carrying an electric motor 113, which is coupled to a speed reducing reversible gear unit 114, the output shaft of which is in turn coupled to a main shaft 115 traversing the frame structure 101. The ends of the main shaft 115 project slightly beyond the outside of the respective side member 102 and sprockets 116 are secured to said projecting ends of the shaft. At the opopsite end structure 104 of the frame 101 there is provided a second transverse shaft 117 similar to said main shaft 115 and having sprockets 118 secured to its outer ends. Each sprocket 116 on the main shaft 115 is connected to the related sprocket 118 on the second shaft 117 by means of an endless chain 119 and thus the shaft 117 will perform an idling motion in response to the rotation of the main shaft 115 and also assist in keeping the two chains 119 synchronized.

The greater part of each chain 119 is concealed within U-shaped longitudinal guards 120 secured to the outer side of each side member 102, and each chain has its one loop part secured to the related end structure of a carriage, generally designated by numeral 121, which traverses the frame structure 101 and is provided with wheels running along the longitudinal side members 102 of the frame. More particularly each end structure 122 and 123, respectively, of the carriage 121 has four wheels 124, two of which run along a race 125 on top of the related side member while the other two run along a race 126 on the bottom side of each side member 102, all for the purpose of keeping the carriage in proper position on the frame structure even when the latter is tilted. At least two of the upper wheels 124 are flanged as shown at 124 to prevent lateral movement of the carriage relative to the frame structure.

As will be easily understood from the above, the carriage 121 may be moved back and forth along the entire length of the frame structure 101 by means of the motor 113. At the one end of the flame, over the end structure 104, the carriage will have a position of rest when not in operation and at the other end of the frame the direction of movement of the carriage will have to be reversed either by manual or automatical actuation of the gear unit 114. To prevent the carriage 121 from soiling the bearings, etc. in the respective end structures 104 and 105 the latter are provided with protective covers 104 and 105 respectively, which have been shown in dashand-dot lines in Fig. 1.

During each full stroke the carriage 121 passes over and somewhat beyond the open area 127 enclosed by the two side members 102 and the inner portions of each end structure 104 and 105, respectively. As mentioned before this open area 127 is traversed at the bottom of the side members 102 by a number of bars 103, most of which are obliquely arranged relative to the longitudinal direction of the frame structure.

The grate formed by the bars or bottom members 103 provides a bottom support for an open, heavy casting mold 128 shown in dash-and-dot lines in the respective Into this casting mold a certain quantity of a particular concerete composition is poured and is allowed to expand by chemical gas generation or other means so as to form a cellular concrete body. During the last mentioned steps the mold 128 is generally allowed to remain on the separate bed. After the expansion has ended and while the concrete body is in a s'erni plas tic, cheese-like state, the mold is positioned in the apparatus shown in the drawing, i.e., on the grate inside the frame structure 101 which is so adapted to the outer contour of the mold as to hold it in proper position during the operation of the apparatus.

In order to have the mold 128 entirely filled with porous orcellular concrete, it is necessary to provide for a certain excess of concrete mass in the mold. This means that the mold will be overfilled by the expanded concrete. Before further treatment of the contents of the mold, it has been found advantageous to remove the upper expansion layer of the concrete mass so as to give the concrete body in the mold a predetermined uniform thickness of height, and one of the purposes of the apparatus herein described is to carry out this cutting off operation.

It should be kept in mind that cutting away of the upper expansion layer is far more advantageous than pressing the expansion layer back into the mold. This pressing procedure is sometimes suggested but because the cellular structure of the concrete body will be partly and unevenly broken down it is not recommended. By cutting olf the upper layer a favorable uniform distribution of pores throughout the treated body is maintined. This is of particular importance for the heat insulating capacity of the products.

To remove said upper expansion layer in the mold 128 the reciprocatable carriage 121 comprises a heavy top beam 129 traversing the frame structure 101 well above the top of the mold 128 and interconnecting the two wheeled end structures 122 and 123. The said top beam 129fca'rries a knife blade 130 which in operative position is slightly inclined in its direction of advance and has its front edge on the desired level of the cut. The blade 130 traverses'the' top of the mold 128 and its front edge is obliquely arranged relative to the direction of movement of the'carriage121, the foremost end of the blade being located nearthat side of the frame structure 101 which is lowered, when the frame is tilted as in Fig. 3.

At its respective ends the knife blade 130 is provided with"forwardlydirected extensions 131 between which there is tensioned a steel string or wire 132, the purpose of which is to actuallycut oif or separate the upper expansion layer in the mold 128 in front of the edge of the blade 130 so that the blade simply has to lift it up from the remaining part of the concrete body in the mold and chute it away laterally for definite removal due to the tilting position occupied by the frame structure 101 during the cutting operation. The wire 132 extends at the desired level of the cut, and substantially follows the oblique front edge of the blade 130 from whichit is spaced a short distance as shown in Fig. 2.

Using the string or wire 132 for the actualcutting on of the expansion layer has been found superior to letting the knife itself both cut and lift away the excess. The string leaves a smooth surface on the remaining concrete body and does not materially harm the cellular structure of the top portion of the body as a cutting knife is likely to do.

Substantially midway between the ends of the blade 130 there is provided an extra supporting arm 133-for the front edgeof the blade and for the string 132. This arm assists in keeping the blade and the string at the desired level all across the mold 128. By means of the arm 133 and-suitable hinged brackets (not shown) the blade 130 is mounted to the carriage 121-in such a manner that when the carriage is returned to its original position of rest, the blade may be swung up from its'operative position above the end structure 104 after having performed a full operative stroke. The change of position of the blade is effected by means of a hydraulic jack 134 (see Fig. 4) located near the end structure 123 of the carriage 121.

From the above it will be clear that when the carriage 121, with the blade 130 and the wire 132 in the operative position, passes over the mold 128 from the end 104 to the end 105 of the laterally tilted frame structure 101, the upper expansion layer will be removed from the contents of the mold 128 and chuted along the blade 130 to the floor or any suitable collector (not shown). The concrete body remaining in the mold will then have a plane, smooth top surface and a predetermined thickness or height. 111 this state the mold with the concrete body may be moved from the apparatus in question for further treatment at other stations along the production line, including cutting up of the body into smaller pieces such as blocks or slabs, and heat and steam hardening: of the cut B- b -Y1 The large concrete bodies obtained by the aforementioned process are most commonly cut ina longitudinal direction into a large number of rectangular slabs, the width of which corresponds to the thickness or height of the concrete body, so that the one longitudinal edge surface of each slab coincides with the planed top surface of the concrete body. Such slabs have found a wide usewith-in the building industry as wall panels, roof sections, etc, In order to allow for provision of a suitable tight joint between adjacent slabs in a wall, etc., it has been, found: desirous to have a channel or groove in at least one of the abutting edge surfaces of two adjacent slabs.

It is. a further object of the apparatus herein described to produce such grooves before the concrete body has. been cut into slabs. whereby a considerable simplification in theproduction of. such grooved slabs may be achieved. Eon this purpose there is on, top of the beam 129 of the carriage, 12 1 mountedv ashaft extending along substantially thewhole length of the beam. Tothe shaft: 140. there aresecured two spaced, angular arms 141 and' 1.42, respectively, located near the respective ends of the shaft. Between the lowermost endsof these arms 141: and 142 there is. rotatably mounted a second shaft 143 having secured thereto in spacedrelationship a plurality of. wheels or rollers 144. The shaft 143 with the rollers 144, is preferably exchangeable as a unit, so it may be possible, for each desired production to replace it by a shaft having suitably contoured and spaced rollers.

At. its oneend projecting slightlyoutside the end structure123 of the carriage 121, the shaft 143 has a sprocket 145 connected by an endless chain 146 to anothersprocket- 147, which latter sprocket is freely rotatably mounted on the. outer end portion of the aforementioned top beamshaft,140. Inside the sprocket 147 there is mounted. a third sprocket148, which is also freely rotatable on the endpprtion of the shaft 1.40. This latter sprocket 148 is capable of being coupled together. withthe sprocket 147 by means of a clutch coupling 149; actuatablenby meansef a lever 150. The sprocket 148 is, inturn, by means ofa second transmission element 151, connected to ,the outp ut shaft 152 of a driving unit153'mounted on. a bracket 154, on thetop beam 129. The driving unit 153, including an electric motor 155 and. a. reversible transmission, allows aycontinuous change of speed of the said output shaft 152 byturning a hand wheel 156.

Theposition of-the rotatable shaft 143, with therollers 144 may be adjusted by. means of. ahydraulic. jack 157 arranged between a bracket 158 on the inside of the carriage end structure 123 andrthe. lowermost end of the arm142: Thus .the rollers. 144:ma.ybeliftedzout of. cOntact with the concrete body in the mold .or presseddown.

into the'planed top-surface thereofassoon asthe carriage 121 has moved inover the mold 128- from its position-ofrest-above the end-104 of the tiltable framestructure 101; Consequently, the concrete body in the mold may be satisfactorily grooved simultaneously while being planed.

When the rollers 144 are lowered into the planed top surface of the semiplastic concrete body, the shaft 143 is rotated by engagement of the clutch coupling 149 so that the rollers 144 will have a peripheral speed differing from that which they would have had if they were allowed to rotate freely due to the advance of the carriage 121. The rollers 144 will form smooth grooves in the concrete body, and since the material of the said body will be uniformly compressed along the grooves a reinforcement by non-porous concrete material around the grooves will be obtained. This result has been found very satisfactory (in comparison with the result of merely cutting out the grooves) because the grooved edge of each ready made slab will then be less subjected to damage.

The speed of rotation of the rollers 144 has to be chosen in relation to the properties of the material of the concrete body so that the slip obtained between the rollers and the body is suflicient to produce a smooth and dense wall in the grooves. Although the rollers effect a compression of the material of the concrete body, this compression is fully controlled and only locally breaks down the cellular structure of the body to produce a favorable result.

It is believed that the above description will make clear how the apparatus is constructed and how it operates in its preferred embodiment. However, it should be pointed out that the invention is not limited to this specific embodiment since the size, shape and arrangement of the different parts may be considerably varied by the man skilled in the art without departing from the basic inven tive idea.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for treating porous light weight concrete bodies in open casting molds in the manufacture of building elements, the combination of a laterally tiltable rectangular frame structure, means pivotally supporting said frame structure, jack means for effecting lateral tilting of said frame stiucture and for returning it to substantially horizontal position, means within said frame structure for positioning an open casting mold therein, races along the longitudinal side members of said frame structure, a carriage movable along said races, said carriage traversing said frame structure, a reversible driving unit at one end of said frame structure, driving means including endless transmission members along both the side members of said frame structure for reciprocating said carriage along said races, said transmission members being connected to said carriage, a vertically adjustable knife blade mounted on said carriage and traversing said frame structure for removing the upper expansion layer of the contents of said open casting mold when positioned in said frame structure, said knife blade forming a chute for transporting the removed expansion layer to and over the lower side of said frame structure when tilted, and means for producing grooves in the top surface of the contents of said mold exposed by the action of said knife blade, said means including a series of rotatable, spaced rollers having a common axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to the direction of advance of said carriage and means for pressing said rollers partly into the contents of said casting mold to break down locally the cellular structure of the concrete body.

2. In an apparatus for treating porous lightweight concrete bodies in open casting molds in the manufacture of building elements, the combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cutting wire is provided in front of the operative edge of said knife blade and spaced therefrom to effect actual separation of the said expansion layer from the contents of the mold.

3. In an apparatus for treating porous light weight concrete bodies in open casting molds in the manufacture of building elements, the combination as clalimed in claim 1, wherein the front edge of said knife blade forms an oblique angle to the direction of advance of said carriage.

4. In an apparatus for treating porous light weight concrete bodies in open casting molds in the manufacture of building elements, the combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rollers are caused to rotate independently of their engagement with the contents of the mold to pro duce a slip between said contents and said rollers.

5. In an apparatus for treating porous lightweight concrete bodies in open casting molds in the manufacture of building elements, the combination of a laterally tiltable rectangular frame structure, means pivotally supporting said frame structure, a carriage, a vertically adjustable knife blade mounted on said carriage and traversing said frame structure for removing the upper expansion layer of the contents of said open casting mold when positioned in said frame structure, said knife blade forming a chute for transporting the removed expansion layer to and over the lower side of said frame structure when tilted, and means for producing grooves in the top surface of the contents of said mold exposed by the action of said knife blade, said means including a series of rotatable, spaced rollers having a common axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to the direction of advance of said carriage and means for pressing said rollers partly into the contents of said casting mold to break down locally the cellular structure of the concrete body.

6. In an apparatus for treating porous lightweight concrete bodies in open casting molds in the manufacture of building elements, the combination of a laterally tiltable rectangular frame structure, means pivotally supporting said frame structure, jack means for effecting lateral tilting of said frame structure and for returning it to substantially horizontal position, means within said frame structure for positioning an open casting mold therein, a carriage, a vertically adjustable knife blade mounted on said carriage and traversing said frame structure for removing the upper expansion layer of the contents of said open casting mold when positioned in said frame structure, said knife blade forming a chute for transporting the removed expansion layer to and over the lower side of said frame structure when tilted, and means for producing grooves in the top surface of the contents of said mold exposed by the action of said knife blade, said means including a series of rotatable, spaced rollers having a common axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to the direction of advance of said carriage and means for pressing said rollers partly into the contents of said casting mold to break down locally the cellular structure of the concrete body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,061,497 Beauchamp Nov. 17, 1936 2,545,002 Miller Mar. ,13, 1951 2,586,714 Richardson Feb. 19, 1952 2,718,822 Magnani Sept. 27, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 54,794 Switzerland Mar. 7, 1911 53,176 Netherland Sept. 15, 1942 879,013 France Nov. 2, 1942 599,630 Great Britain Mar. 17, 1948 134,603 Australia Oct. 10, 1949 201,185 Australia Feb. 24, 1956 

